What do you think og the Pajero

We are looking at getting a new 4by4. The V8 Toyota was going to be our number one choice.

However the Pajero Turbo Diesel Anniversary Model has been offered to us at a good price. $30,000 cheaper then the Toyota Base GX. (Barn Door)

I would like to know what some of you think about the Pajero. Manual V Auto. Fuel consumption when towing and any known problems you may have encountered.

Thank you

Wayne B
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Reply By: Notso - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 17:45

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 17:45
We have about 5 members of our van club with the Paj. Not one of them would swap it for anything else. No obvious problems reported.

Fuel economy varies of course from around 14 L/100ks to about 16.

Heaps of power for towing most of them have the auto but one manual and he seems happy.

Nowhere near as much power as the LC 200 of course but well and truly adequate for the purpose.

I have the Triton with the 3.2 diesel and it has done 120,000 now and is also a terrific tow vehicle.
AnswerID: 474131

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:50

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:50
QUOTE " Heaps of power for towing most of them have the auto but one manual and he seems happy." Nowhere near as much power as the LC 200 of course but well and truly adequate for the purpose.

These are my thoughts exactly. We looked at the Triton however we have a Disabled son who is very large and there is not enough room in the back of any of the Dual Cabs we looked at.

Thank you

Wayne B
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Follow Up By: Notso - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:55

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:55
Not trying to talk you into a triton, just pointing out that the Motor is pretty much the same, slightly less power.
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Reply By: Member - Richard W (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 17:57

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 17:57
Wayne,

Had a 2001 NM Petrol for 4 years and was going to replace it with an NP Diesel however had a few spare bickies so went a 100 series TD.
Was a comfortable vehicle and the Super Select auto gearbox was magic. Best of both worlds. Mine was pre traction control so it taught me to pick the right wheel track. ;)

I'm in the Triple Diamond 4WD Club which has quite a few Pajeros. Everyone seems happy and so far as I'm aware no real dramas and they can get most places as well as being a good tow vehicle.

Pretty good warranty as well.
AnswerID: 474134

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:54

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:54
The 100Series TD is not that much different to my current 80 series TD. A little more power with the Multi Valve engine which would be nice. To be honest, I could not sell my 80 for a 100 series.

Thanks

Wayne B
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Reply By: Lifetime Member-Heather MG NSW - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 17:59

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 17:59
Hi Wayne,

We recently bought an auto TD Pajero diesel...2011 model, now a few months old. Traded our Navara due to unreliability. Decided on it rather than spend the extra money on a Landcruiser. Also because we do not really need the bigger vehicle to tow, and to drive around town it is more economical. (around 9 to 10 litres per 100 kms usually)


So far we have only towed our van ( close to two and a half tonne laden) on a couple of short trips and not fully loaded so can't give accurate figures but got around 16 litres per 100 kms on Princes Highway between Ulladulla and Kiama. Expect it to go up to maybe19ltrs if packed up on a big trip.

The Pajero is very comfortable and has lots of features included in the price compared to similar vehicles we thought. So far we are very happy with it but have done less than 9,000 kms.


Regards,

Heather
Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. John Muir

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AnswerID: 474135

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:58

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:58
QUOTE. "So far we have only towed our van ( close to two and a half tonne laden) on a couple of short trips and not fully loaded so can't give accurate figures but got around 16 litres per 100 kms on Princes Highway between Ulladulla and Kiama. Expect it to go up to maybe19ltrs if packed up on a big trip. "

Interesting 19 lts per 100km ??? That is what I got crossing the Simpson with the4 HJ80 TD towing a camper trailer. I was hoping for better figures then that. I understand you have not had your van fully loaded and the 19lts is an estimate.

Thank you

Wayne B
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Follow Up By: Patrol22 - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:00

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:00
Don't wish to 'jack the tread Heather but I would be interested in the unreliability problems you had with your Navara. I've got a 2008 D40 with 80000km on the clock and thus far not a single problem.
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Follow Up By: Lifetime Member-Heather MG NSW - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:31

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:31
Hi Wayne..

yes the figure of 19litres per hundred kms was purely a guess.... I probably shouldn't have even mentioned that figure. I thought my husband had quoted it to me somewhere!

We did own an earlier model Pajero (early 2000's) which we used to tow the same van and the figures were around 18 apparently....so maybe I have over estimated, and should have asked the male of the house! I stand corrected! He reckons this one is more economical and we hope he is right. (He tells me he is ALWAYS right, lol)

We traded the other Paj because it was only legally supposed to tow two and a half tonne.

And Patrol...I don't feel like going into the problems we had with the Navara except to say that they held us up for 3 weeks in WA a few years ago when we had timing belt? or chain? problems at 60,000kms and again then last winter in Qld. with something different. It was still under warranty for us when we traded.It was a 2007 model D40 dual cab Auto diesel.
Nissan did cover the cost of replacement parts and the labour under warranty and we were glad we had taken out the extended type but it was just so annoying not to be able to explore some of the country we really wanted to visit in case we stopped and had to try to call the NRMA in a place where there was no mobile coverage on our trip last Winter.
We will miss the space we used to have with the Navara, and having somewhere to carry the fuel, boat motor and other items I guess but will manage.

You will probably never have a problem with yours. They are a popular vehicle choice for many travellers, both those towing and not.

Regards,

Heather
Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. John Muir

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Follow Up By: Patrol22 - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 20:08

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 20:08
Thanks Heather....I have heard of the timing chain issue and thankfully it appears to have been rectified in post 2007 build cars.
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Reply By: olcoolone - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:01

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:01
A Pajero is not a Landcruiser 200 series...... same as you can buy a Great Wall V240 $30,000 cheaper then a Pajero..... but a Great Wall is not a Pajero.

The two 4x4's are chalk and cheese, we own a 200 series but due to the nature of our business we work on a lot of 4x4's including Pagero's.

The Pajero is a good 4x4 overall and we have many happy customers with them..... the down side is they are terrible for running cables and mounting stuff inside but that may be a god point..... auxiliary battery size is small due to lack of space.

The Landcruiser is a much bigger better put together 4x4 and whether it's $30,000 better is in the eyes of the beholder.

I like the Pajero but not for a real 4x4.... it would be ideal for some one who wants a 4x4 for 80% urban/country bitumen and 20% for dirt tracks.

Pajero is built on a mono chassis and Landcruiser on the traditional ladder.

Good warranty, comfortable mid size 4x4 with all the mod cons.

Reliability is good and on par to most others.

If I was after a Pajero I would get the diesel auto and 4 things I would do..... fit a long range tank, a 2 inch suspension lift, auxiliary battery and a steel bar.

Like most things the price reflects the quality and function of the vehicle.
AnswerID: 474136

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:44

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:44
Quote.... "I like the Pajero but not for a real 4x4.... it would be ideal for some one who wants a 4x4 for 80% urban/country bitumen and 20% for dirt tracks. "

I tend to agree with your comment above. The Pajero would be limited in some off road conditions but then again so are all independent front end vehicles. (Limited wheel travel.)

I believe the Toyota to be a better off road vehicle however I think the Pajero would meet our requirements. Mostly Highway and Country Driving, then once a year a 8000 + km trip into the center towing a camper trailer and a reasonable amount of gear inside the car. (Did the Simpson last year with my 1992 HJ80 TD)

I did some looking on the net and noted some people have had problems with Traction Control and PDF Filter blocking up. Also some issue with inlet port blocking up causing engine to go into limp mode. I am still not 100% convinced on some of the latest technology is worth the trouble.

The other alternative would be to put another Recaro seat (Already have one for the Driver, ME) in the HJ80 and fit it out inside for a bit more comfort for the wife. For some reason she dose not have a good thing to say about my beloved 80. Not up marker enough LOL. I must admit it is not pristine and has traveled over 500,000km. It just keeps on keeping on and I can fix anything that may go wrong because it is simple to repair, compared to the high tech modern vehicles.

Big decision this is for me and while I like the V8 Toy I think it could be overkill for our needs.

Keep the comments coming

Thank you
Wayne B
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FollowupID: 749054

Follow Up By: olcoolone - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 22:19

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 22:19
Heard it so many times before that independent suspension vehicles are no match for solid axle vehicles...... 99% of 4x4ers would only see the benefits of a solid axle maybe less then 1% of the time in really extreme applications...... and for the 99%+ of the time they would have a disadvantage over a independent suspension vehicle.

Give me an independent suspension vehicle any day.... better handling, comfort and much better over rough terrain.

Our Landcruiser is a VX that comes with KDSS giving us an extra 4 inches of up and down travel giving it the best of both worlds.

We have problems when we are leading on trips were other have solid axle vehicles, we have to wait for them to catch up all the time.... and we are not speeding or driving dangerously, just that independent suspension vehicles handle to rough better.


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FollowupID: 749099

Follow Up By: olcoolone - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 22:31

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 22:31
Almost forgot.... the DPF equipped Pajero's do have a problem with the DPF going into rejuvenation and people shutting the engine down before completion of the cycle requiring a trip to the dealer for resetting.

During the DPF cycle the exhaust can get up to around 800 to 1000 deg C and glow red hot...... this may make it a fire hazard.

It makes me laugh.... some remote sites we do field service work at stipulate diesel powered vehicles only as petrol vehicles with catalytic converters can be a fire hazard...... obviously they haven't heard about DPF equipped vehicles YET!
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Follow Up By: patsproule - Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 07:29

Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 07:29
Quite a bit of mis-information here. The DPF problem only affected early NS models (3 models ago) and was completely fixed with a software upgrade. Current NW and late NT does not have a DPF at all. The manifold issue was again on the NS only and most will have had the free upgrade to a new manifold by now. The current Triton does not have the same motor. Pajero has a 3.2 Litre 4M41T, Triton has a 2.5 Litre 4D56T (earlier Tritons had a lower power version of the 4M41T). The Pajero has cable trays under the kick panels down either side with plenty of room for running heavy fridge / camper wiring etc to the rear and it is quite easy to get under the cargo area panels. Under bonnet you can fit an N70 & N50 or with a special tray two N70's. This still leaves room on the other side for things such as shower pumps / compressors etc. There are spare DIN sized slots in the dash for mounting UHF's etc and plenty of spare switch blanks.

Stock traction control on even the poverty models (along with stability, EBD and ABS) from about 04 more than makes up for the IRS / IFS, as does the factory rear diff lock as fitted to many later models. Yup, throw in a 2" lift, an Aux tank and a decent bar (much as you would with any 4WD off the showroom floor) and you will have a very capable off-road vehicle that still handles and performs very well on-road. And you'll still have at least $30k in your pocket over a 200 series or D4.

No, they're not the vehicle to buy if you have 34's and a 5 inch lift in mind. But to the original question - yes, they tow very well.
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Reply By: Andrew & Jen - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:12

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:12
Hullo Wayne
Ron Moon had one on a test over a couple of years (I think) and my recollection is that he thought highly of it.
You should be able to Google his comment/report.
Cheers
Andrew
AnswerID: 474137

Reply By: NTVRX - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:34

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 18:34
G'day Wayne, We own a 2009 VRX 3.2 Auto Diesel Pajero. We tow a 2.5 tonne Van. The vehicle uses 14 to 16 L/p 100 KM. The vehicle is used 80 % of the time on the black top, sand, mud & towing. We have taken the vehicle "heavy four wheel driving" & have used the winch on numerous occassions. The vehicle has gone & will go where cruisers & patrols will go. The vehicle is fitted with a dual battery set up (under the bonnet) a TJM snorkel, ARB deluxe steel bar & OME 50mm suspension lift with King springs all round with the rear being progressive or load sharing. We believe the vehicle is a great towing vehicle & very happy with it. I think the 5 year road side assist & ten (10) year warranty on motor,auto,diffs etc...is very good & not offered by other manufacturers. I have not driven a manual and chose the auto because I can "flick" over to "manual" selection or just leave it in "D" I tow in 5th or overdrive on the flat & fourth (4th) when the hills start. I really don't bother comparing other makes to my vehicle because like mine, there are good & bad points with everything.....don't let others sway you or try and push you either way, assess every vehicle & make up your own mind as to what suits your needs & your pocket. Good luck
AnswerID: 474141

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:07

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:07
Yes that all sounds about right. I was thinking 51 to 16 Lts per 100. I would fit the same accessories you have. The Anniversary Model has standard Rear Diff Lock so I am told.

I agree all have good and bad points and it is a matter of picking the one most suited to my need and pocket.

Thank you
Wayne B
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FollowupID: 749062

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:29

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:29
QUOTE " I think the 5 year road side assist & ten (10) year warranty on motor,auto,diffs etc...is very good & not offered by other manufacturers."

This is a big selling point and something I am seriously taking into account.

My biggest problem is I am a Auto Engineer by trade and service all my own vehicles. This fact alone can void much of the warranty. The alternative is to have it serviced by a dealer which is costly and unless you have a problem with the vehicle that requires expert diagnosis, then the general servicing is done by a apprentice usually. I have seen too many vehicles go in for a service with no problem only to come out with something wrong and has to be taken back for rectification. Call me a skeptic if you must.

Cheers
Wayne B
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FollowupID: 749090

Reply By: Member - Boobook - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:01

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:01
I went from a Pajero to a 200 a few years ago.

Here is my take FWIW.

The Pajero is pretty good off road, better than most will lead you to believe.
The exterior dimensions are not a lot different, however the 200 is a lot bigger inside, it is a bit longer which translates into leg and head room.
You will get more goodies for your buck in the Pajero.
The Monocoque chassis, and diesel is very 'drummy' and noisy, especially on a dirt road. It makes using the bluetooth phone difficult at speed. In comparison the 200 is very very quiet. This is a major differentiator for long drives. Drive them back to back.
The 200 is more comfortable on long drives.
The 200 will drink more, especially when towing.
If you tow watch the following two points.
1)The new models with the center mounted, lower rear spare may well hit the trailer hitch and you may have to uncouple to get the door open. Mitsubishi sell a kit to raise the spare which fixes this issue some times.
2)If you have about 120kg or more on the tow bar, you will chew rear tyres on the insides due to the independant rear suspension. One set lasted all of 8000km while I was towing!!!
AnswerID: 474143

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:12

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:12
Quote "1)The new models with the center mounted, lower rear spare may well hit the trailer hitch and you may have to uncouple to get the door open. Mitsubishi sell a kit to raise the spare which fixes this issue some times.
2)If you have about 120kg or more on the tow bar, you will chew rear tyres on the insides due to the independant rear suspension. One set lasted all of 8000km while I was towing!!!

Thanks for your comments I know about Item (1) Rear Tyre Mounting.

Very interesting about tow ball weight and tyre wear. Do you have any lift kit, or suspension modifications or is the vehicle standard. Is the camber / Toe adjustable on the rear suspension.

Thank you
Wayne B
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FollowupID: 749063

Follow Up By: Lifetime Member-Heather MG NSW - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:35

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:35
Hi Wayne (again) and Boobok

We have the wheel lift kit and don't have a problem opening the rear door. We negotiated this as part of the deal as we knew it was an issue.

I dont recall having a problem with tyre wear on our earlier model Pajero either.

regards,

Heather
Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. John Muir

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Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 20:05

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 20:05
Heather.
Can you believe it. The salesman actually told me about the rear wheel problem and said there was a mod to fix the problem. An Honest Salesman ????? LOL
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FollowupID: 749074

Reply By: farouk - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:39

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:39
Re the wearing of the inside of tyres if more than 120kg on the tow bar.

My NM Exceed 3.2 was previously owned by a mate who towed a large van weighing 2200kg and got exactly 80000km out of the original 4 tyres, of course he did not drive like a maniac , he drove at a maximum of 90kph.
I have another mate who also owns the same model and tows a 21'6" jayco with 240KG on the tow ball and he got the same kms out of his first set of tyres, he also is a very careful driver who also tows at a max of 90.
I would suggest that speed would be responsible for this excessve tyre wear so do not be swayed by the assertion of the the previous poster that it is a fault of the vehicle.
I tow a 21'6'' Jayco also and the fuel usage is in the order of 6- 7kms to the litre depending on the wind and road conditions.
A great vehicle.

Colin
AnswerID: 474151

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:57

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 19:57
Thank you for your comments.
I think the tyre wear would be more related to suspension settings (ride height) and alignment rather then outright speed. I agree It dose not appear to be a inherent problem as there is not many complaints about tyre wear.

6 - 7 lis per 100km fantastic. You must be a very economical driver, I would never get those figures due to my driving style. It takes driving discipline to get those figures. I would be happy with mid 9 highway and 15 towing.

Cheers
Wayne B
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Follow Up By: The Original JohnR (Vic) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:00

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:00
Wayne, you misread what Colin had said. What he said was " 6- 7kms to the litre depending on the wind and road conditions" That equates to 14 to 17 litres per 100 kms, which is pretty close to what we achieved towing the Kimberley Karavan with the 100 Series of similar weight to the Jayco, perhaps slightly lighter. Your 15 litres per 100 is mid way to Colin's.
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Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:12

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:12
John R
So I did. Thank you for picking that up. I thought 7lts per 100 was too good to be true. LOL
Cheers
Wayne B
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FollowupID: 749084

Follow Up By: NTVRX - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:28

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:28
Hi Wayne, Just a follow up on my post. Not trying to tell anyone how to do things but if you do a suspension lift with the Pajero you MUST have a four wheel alignment & balance done, due to the Independent suspension. It is that suspension that the Pajero benefits from & makes it feel safer on the road. Patrol,Range Rover,Cruiser & Disco have that "wallowing" on the highway due to their suspension set up which also provides great wheel travel. With the DPF on Pajero the problem was with the NS Pajero but were fixed under warranty. The NT doesn't suffer the same problem as the DPF has been modified & is no longer an issue. There is a lift kit available from the dealer regarding the spare wheel height & usually fixes the opening & closing of the rear door. I forgot to mention that the pajero club of Victoria is a great site for more info on the Pajero....but you've probably been there & done that. I have travelled nearly 50,000km on the same tyres as fitted when new Yokohama Geo 12's and not one problem & that was on desert trips with some really sharp surfaces....both front & rear tyres have worn evenly & still have between 20 & 30 thou left on them.
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FollowupID: 749089

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:39

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 21:39
Quote "if you do a suspension lift with the Pajero you MUST have a four wheel alignment & balance done, due to the Independent suspension. It is that suspension that the Pajero benefits from & makes it feel safer on the road."

Agree 100% with these comments.
The Pajero dose feel nice on the road it sits relatively flat with very little wallowing.
This is one of the reasons I was questioning its off road ability. Usually good handling on road dose not usually translate to good off road performance.

Cheers
Wayne B
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FollowupID: 749091

Follow Up By: awill4x4 - Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 23:37

Thursday, Jan 05, 2012 at 23:37
Wayne, I really don't think you have to worry about the off road ability of the Pajero.
Independant suspension is a limiter in wheel travel but the traction control system is up there with the best available.
The link below shows just how well its traction control system works and in conjunction with a suspension upgrade and some all terrain tyres it goes most of the places the big boys go.
Regards Andrew.

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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 09:27

Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 09:27
Farouk, if you call 95 - 100kmph excessive then yes that is the reason.

The vehicle had a lift with firmer suspension, and front / rear wheel alignment. If anything, I would have thought a lift would have helped save the inside wear.

All I know is that when I took the tyres back they were badly worn and the tyre retailer said it was common on IRS Pajeros. I had an alignment but it was in spec. That is my total qualification in the observation.

Take a look at the rear wheels of a Pajero with a camper coupled, they do tilt inwards so it made sense to me at the time.

The OP asked for experiences and that is mine. Sorry for having an experience that you don't approve of.
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FollowupID: 749126

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 16:48

Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 16:48
QUOTE " Wayne, I really don't think you have to worry about the off road ability of the Pajero."

Impressive I must say. Much better the the older models in the Club, once the wheel comes of the ground then thats as far as they go.

I drove both the Manual and Auto to-day. Both impressive so I dont care which one I get. The auto may be a better option for towing and slow going.

Cheers
Wayne B
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FollowupID: 749163

Reply By: farouk - Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 10:38

Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 10:38
Boobook,

Have had this discussion before on the Pajero site where a couple of the members have had this problem and one of them had done a trip to Darwin in January at speeds well up on the speed limit in NTand wore out a set of rear tyres, their solution to the problem was to fit airbags which I question would solve the problem

I can only speak of the experiences of my mates with their Pajero's and also of my own over a period of some 60 odd years with trucks and cars and towing caravans and I subscribe to the theory that speeds over 90kph increase fuel consuumption and tyre wear especially if the weather is very hot. Of course the tyre dealer would blame the IRS that way he does not offend the client by throwing in the speed bit.

You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that BUT I just do not agree with it and especially now when you admit to 95/100 which could easily sneak up on a long run with little traffic to 100/105 and while I have been the owner of 3 Pajero's with no excessive tyre wear I can only relate to my own experience .
Regards
Colin
AnswerID: 474198

Reply By: i'machocoholic - Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 15:57

Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 15:57
Hi Wayne,

We have a 2010 NT Automatic Pajero which we used to travel Oz for over 12 months, back just before Christmas and completing a total of 40,000kms.

I can honestly say that we had no issues with the vehicle - we were loaded to the hilt - roof tinny, car choccas with two Engels and drawer system, and pulling 21 feet Traveller caravan, weight approx. 3 tonnes. So as you'll see we were loaded.

The mods we did for the vehicle included around a 40mm lift kit, we also fitted airbags, new Toyo tyres (these were brilliant), a second battery, a bullbar, and a long range fuel tank.

Normally whilst just driving around in the car we were getting around 10 litres per 100kms, however pulling a large load it was around 19 litres. We also drove in 4th gear, not Drive whilst towing which probably contributed to an increase in fuel usage.

The only negative I feel we have now is that as we are back home and no longer towing, the ride is rather hard now that we don't have the weight in the rear. Whether we choose to change it or not, we haven't yet decided.

If you would like to take a look at our set up, here's the link:
Grant & Linda
AnswerID: 474222

Follow Up By: Member - Wayne B (NSW) - Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 17:03

Friday, Jan 06, 2012 at 17:03
That is loaded to the max.

I think I would have chosen the LC V8 to hall that load around.

I would be interested in knowing what was the comfortable towing speed.

We will only have 1/2 that weight so that is why I am thinking Pajero over the LC

The other option is the Toyota 70 Series GLX Wagon. Very basic vehicle and the seats are so uncomfortable, otherwise great vehicle for hard work and towing.

Thanks you all who replied to this post. Time to get out the calculator and do some number crunching.

Cheers
Wayne B
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FollowupID: 749164

Follow Up By: i'machocoholic - Sunday, Jan 08, 2012 at 22:54

Sunday, Jan 08, 2012 at 22:54
Yes we were loaded, but us both having worked at Mitsubishi for nearly 40 years between us, it didn't seem right to get anything other than a Paj when we left.

And it served us really well - average towing speed was around 95kms. I would sit around 90-95 and the other half would sit around 95-100.

The vehicle went everywhere we needed to take it on the GRR - even the rough track to Wunnamurra Gorge at Mt Elizabeth which we saw some vehicles not attempt due to clearance.

I don't think you'll be disappointed.

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FollowupID: 749352

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